One Day
by Casca
Summary: A Carter/Lucy pre-meeting. Lucy's a high school student, Carter's a med student, they meet in an unlikely place. :
1. One Day

Title: Be Still My Beating Heart

Title:One Day

Author:[Casca][1][Casccara@yahoo.com][2]

Spoilers:Nope. J

Archive:Not without permission from moi! J

Feedback:Yes, please! 

John Truman Carter swung into the Hospital lounge and glanced at his watch, which read 5:45pm.He took off the lab coat he'd been wearing and hung it up on the hook with all the other spare lab coats.He was done.His third year of Med school was officially over, he thought, as he held up a hand to Jerry and Carol and sauntered pass the desk.He heard a chorus of "Bye, Carter"s from the people behind the desk."I will," he replied to all the wishes of "have a good summer!" and "stop by now and then!"And he walked out.

He should be happy.He should be ecstatic that he had the whole summer to do as he pleased, that the year of torture and hard work was finally over.And he had been happy, a while ago, he had looked forward to this day, thinking it would be a day of freedom.Ha.When had he ever been free?

These were his cynical thoughts as he slid into his jeep and pulled out the plane ticket that said Alitalia.Flight 607 for 9:54pm.Feeling like a puppet on a string, he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

Italy.At 9:54 tonight he would be boarding a plane that would fly for eight hours to Venice, Italy.Venice was beautiful at this time of year, Gamma had told him. The canals, the warm air, the gorgeous cathedral, The Piazza San Marco.

He would rather spend an entire day at County doing rectals.

His parents.He didn't mind them so much normally.Hell, he didn't know them that much normally.He could count on one hand how many times he'd seen them in the past year.He could count on two hands how many times he'd talked to them in the past year.Yet they always had that hold on him.He supposed it was because they were his _parents._Something about the title would always connect them to him.

His parents were the only people in the world who could make him dread going to one of the Natural Wonders of the World, a place most people only dream about going to.They had phoned him from Italy and requested his presence there.Not quite in those words, really, but formal enough.

"John, darling, Seniore Guardo and his wife are very eager to meet you and your father and I haven't seen you in a while.Join us for a few weeks.Your Grandmother told me you are on summer break now.Join us."

John had protested, of course.He'd never been one to talk back to his mother, but he made a valid point to her.Why should he pick up and leave when he was just starting to settle down from his hectic year?

"It'll give you a chance to unwind, darling."

He finally sighed.He did miss his mother and his father.But damn them for putting him into this predicament.If he said no, he knew he would feel guilty.Just as he knew his mother felt guilty for not seeing him often.These were reasons enough for John to want to go and for his mother, Constance, to want him to join them.But Carter knew better.Seniore Guardo was a big Italian business owner.Surely "He and His Wife" were not more than eager to meet Carter.His parents were surely enthusiastic to show him off as their loving son, another possession they were so very proud of.

How could they want to show him off when they hardly knew him?He didn't even know himself these days.He was a wreck, screwing up every minute in the ER, nearly sending his resident advisor, Dr. Benton into heart failure because of all his mistakes.Perhaps over a nice pasta dinner, Carter could regal his parents and the Guardo's with the story of when he set fire to Dr. Benton's slides presentation.And how Benton had stood up looking like a fool in front of the big wigs at the hospital.That would be a surefire way to impress the Guardo's.He'd probably send his mother into anafalectic shock.

He sighed, hating thinking about his parents this way.He'd just suck it up.It wasn't the worst thing in the world, having to visit Venice, Italy.And who knew?He might actually have a good time . . .

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It turned out to be beautiful.From the minute he stepped off the plane and onto a boat that would take him to his hotel, Carter had felt at peace with himself.Had he once been worried about something as trivial as work?How jaded his world seemed as he sat outside the grand hotel at a cafe's small round table sipping a mineral water and watching the canal life on the streets of Venice.The world here was relaxing and tranquil . . . thinking of the ER was like thinking of a loud, fast, blur of noise.

The streets of Venice.It was more correct to say the waterways of Venice or the canals of Venice.But being there, watching the boats of all sizes float along, their respective drivers calling out to one another, the occasional "road rage" scene taking place, Carter knew what the "Streets of Venice" meant.

It was his second day in Italy.His first day was spent sleeping in the luxury of his hotel room, every so often getting up and eating.The jet lag hit him hard, especially after working a 24-hour shift in the ER with only a thirty-minute nap.But now, he was getting over his lag and found himself enjoying being in the city of Venice.

"Darling."

He looked up as his mother swept down upon him.Seating herself in a chair across from him and signaling the waiter of the cafe to bring her the same as her son.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes," he said, smiling at his mother."Very much, thanks."

"I'm glad you came, John.It means a lot to me.And your father."

"I'm glad I came too," he said, squeezing his mother's hand."I like it here."

"I thought you would," she said, her voice tinted with laughter."Venice is very sappy and sentimental.Just like you."

He only smiled almost politely and sipped his water.

"What?" she asked him."I know you better than you think, my dear."

His smiled became a grin."That's a mom thing."

"Perhaps." She squeezed his hand and then let it go."We're dining with the Guardo's tonight at the restaurant in the hotel.Meet us there by eight, okay?"

"Sure.That's sounds good."

"Would you like for me to arrange a tour for you in the meantime? Perhaps a history of the Catedrale San Marco?"

Making it clear that she was busy and would not be able to give him a tour herself."Uh, no thanks.I think I'm going to go for a walk."

"Okay."Constance Carter disappeared inside the hotel and Carter held up a hand to signal for the check.After paying twelve dollars for two bottles of water (and shaking his head in amazement) he started walking down a pathway to the center of the city.His hotel was situated right in the middle of the famous Piazza San Marco, or the Square of Saint Mark.And it was the center of Venice.A huge space where little stores of all kind lined the area, restaurants, glass shops, antiques.Souvenir stands littered the sidewalks selling everything from cameras to rosaries.There were fountains, statues, and colorful chairs from outdoor cafes.The backdrop was the Adriatic Sea.The front view was the gloriously ornate Saint Mark's Cathedral, towering into the sky.

Carter watched the life that went on here, listening to the orchestra that was playing ironically sentimental American show tunes.He had to smile at that.

"Si, Va bene, grazie."

"Che problema?Non abbiamo tempo!"

"You like pizza?I make special pizza for you!"

"Prego!"

The last line was for him.Carter smiled at the pretty girl who'd welcomed him to her flower cart.She was very Italian looking with long curly brown hair and huge dark eyes, which were flirting with him."You like?" she asked in the heavily accented voice, holding out an orange blossom.

"Thanks," he grinned, his dimples showing and accepted the flower.

"You are American?" the girl said carefully, smiling prettily.

"Yes, I am." 

"Which place?"

"Which place . . .?Oh, you mean which state?Chicago."

Her confused eyes lit up."Ahh. Burr!"She pretended to shiver and hug herself like she was cold.

Carter had to laugh."Yes.Burr.But now not, now it's really hot there."

She shook her head, her eyes intensely trying to understand what he was saying.

"Only in winter," he said loud and slow."Now it's really hot."

She simply gazed up at him with her big laughing brown eyes and shrugged helplessly.

All of a sudden laughter rang out, a light giggle sound that made Carter flick a glance to his right.Standing a few yards away was a young girl and a juggler.The juggler seemed to be flirting outrageously with silent gestures and somber looks.Carter's eyes fell on the girl's face when she laughed again.Her smiled was a mile wide and her eyes were a gorgeous blue, bluer than even the Adriatic next to her.She was squinting in the sun, but Carter could still see the blue of her eyes. Young, but not that young, he noted.She was definitely not a child, but not an adult either.He couldn't help smiling as he watched the clown joke with her and pull gently on her long blond hair. He stared for a while not even noticing the vendor girl watching him with a huge knowing smile. 

Leaning back on a street lamp, Carter watched the clown look somber and walk drearily away as the blonde girl laughed and shook her head.She turned suddenly and met Carter's gaze.Her blue eyes warmed, and her smile widened.

Feeling like he owned the world, Carter returned her grin with one of his own, hoping against hope that she spoke English.They both started to close the distance, Carter pushing away from the post, the girl sidling towards him.

"Where have you been?Lucy, Miss Starza is about to punish us all because you didn't meet us for dinner.She's getting ready to have you paged."

"What?" The girl named Lucy asked, distracted. "I got held up by this clown."

"Clown?? Oooh, you met a guy!Who cares if he's a clown, is he cute?"And with that, she dragged Lucy away.Lucy was muttering, "no, a REAL clown" and Carter was staring after her.

About twenty seconds later, Carter realized what a fool he must look like, standing in the center of a walkway, staring into space.The chime of a clock sent his gaze flying to the huge clock at the top of the Cathedral.7:30.7:30?!?!He had to meet his parents for dinner in half an hour. Not having any time to marvel at how the hours had passed while wandering Venice and how pretty that girl had been, Carter raced down the sidewalk, tripping only once over his two left feet.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Carter felt like he was on a race to make it to the hospital at the start of his shift.He dressed in record speed, barely having time to glance in the mirror, and found his way to the hotel restaurant.It looked just as fancy as the rest of the hotel and he straitened his tie.He mumbled his name to the maitre'd and the stiff man in a tuxedo pointed to a table in the back of the restaurant.As Carter neared the table, he could see his Mother and Father, a proper looking couple who must be the Guardo's.And someone else.

"John," his mother said pleasurably.

"Sorry, I'm late," he muttered, smiling politely at the Guardo's and the lovely brunette sitting in between them.He took the empty seat.

"John, these are the Guardo's," His father explained."Mr. and Mrs. Guardo and their daughter, Angelina."

"Nice to meet you," he said, smiling.Any pretense he'd had about his parents wanting him to join them in Italy for sentimental reasons flew out the window.The woman, who was about his age, didn't look surprised to see him at all.She was smiling serenely behind bright red lipstick.She had a short, shiny cap of strait black hair and smoky gray eyes.A striking woman.Too bad he had to dislike her on principle.

He could have wrote the script to the evening while he'd been on the plane had he known the Guardo's had a daughter.His father, pretending to actually be happy with Carter's choice to be a doctor, going overboard to praise him.His mother, chiming in with little hints that he was single, all the while was sending adoring looks to him.

"In a weak, we are heading to the South at our family home in Capri.We'd love for you and your family to join us," Mr. Guardo said.

"Oh, well, that sounds lovely!Doesn't it sound lovely dear?" Constance asked Carter.

"Yes, it does.But my return flight is in a few days, I'm afraid I won't be able to make it."

His return flight was actually in two weeks, but there would be no way his parents would correct him on front of the company.

"Well, darling, we can see about extending the date.It won't be a problem," his mother said sweetly.

"I have things I need to do at home, Mother.But thank you for the invite," he said to the Guardo's while his parents covered up their fury.

When the dinner was over, Carter could have prompted his mother to suggest that the two "kids" get some air and go for a walk, but Mrs. Guardo took care of that.So "the kids" made their way outside, while Carter thought about exchanging his plane ticket for an _earlier_ return flight.

He spent the evening with Angelina making small talk, trying to be as polite as he possibly could before saying he was tired and returning back to his hotel room.

The next morning, he awoke to his mother pulling back the curtains in his room.The bright Venice sun poured through the window, drenching his eyes."Mom.What are you doing?"

"I'm waking you up.You have a date today."

Carter sat up and stared at his mother."What?"

Constance tried not to smile at the way his brown hair stood on ends as he tried to look angry in his Bulls Tee-Shirt.

"With Angelina.In Venice."

"Mom.Why are you doing this?"

"Because, John, you need to start thinking about your future."

He couldn't hide the amusement in his voice."And you think this girl in my future.Mom, I don't even know her, and I don't want to know her.She seems nice enough, but-"

"But, what?Just because your father and I picked her out you wont even give her a chance?"

"Picked her out," he said in amazement, throwing the covers off his bed and getting up to pace."Do you realize how twisted that sounds?Picked her out."

"John-"

"Look.I'll go out with her today to be polite, but that's it.I'm switching my ticket and I'm leaving Venice this weak."

"John, don't.Just-"

"Sorry, Mom.But I know the reason I'm here, and I don't like it," he said in a final sort of way.

"Honey, if we've hurt your feelings in anyway-"

"The only person who hurt my feelings is Gamma by not telling me the reason you wanted me out here was to try to make me a part of your world.I don't like that world."

He met Angelina at the front of the hotel.She was looking sharp in a dark sundress with her hair slicked and styled.He smiled at her.After all, it wasn't her fault his parents were sick and twisted human beings."Hi," he said.

"Hi."

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Sure.Uh, just a second.Correct me if I'm wrong here, but you don't want to be with me today," she said matter-of-factly in her slight Italian accent.

Carter tried to look surprised.

"I mean, your parents are mirror images of mine, if I'm correct you feel the same that I do about all this.I mean you seem like a great guy, it's just-"

"It's just not right."

"No, it's not.I hate it when my parents do this to me, I feel a –what do you call it? A puppet on a string or something."

Carter breathed a sigh of relief."I agree.Do you want to just-"

"Go our separate ways?I would love to."

"Cool," he said.

"How about if we give our parents a run for their money—what if, say we meet back here around midnight tonight?This way, we can do as we please and avoid them in the process?I'll stand guard if you want to go back to your room."

"Actually I think I'll wander around Venice.Thank you," he said sincerely.

"Thank you.Midnight at that bridge over there?"

"Cool," he said again.

And they parted.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lucy Knight burst out laughing at her friend Caroline's impression of the guy they'd just had to shrug off.It seemed American girls were a big hit with Italian boys and the group of high school girls from Boston were having a ball.Lucy was ecstatic.She was on vacation with her High School Italian class and things couldn't be better. Her Italian teacher and chaperone, Miss. Starza, was about to have a breakdown, but the girls were having a great time.

"Let's get ice cream," Jenny suggested.

"Gelato," Lucy corrected her.

"I'm not hungry, I want to find a postcard stand-"

"Ooh, I wanna go in that glass shop!"

"We spent an hour in there yesterday, didn't we, Luce?"

"Yeah-"

"It was right after Lucy met that hot guy," Caroline teased.

"The clown?" the rest of the girls said in unison.

"No, not the clown, the other guy!" Caroline said excitedly.

"I didn't meet him! He was just sort of looking at me."

"These Italian men," one girl sighed.

"He had dark hair and dark eyes... " Lucy said dreamily.

"All Italian men have dark hair and eyes-"

"Are you blind!That's ridiculous," Caroline said.

"Well, he did," Lucy said."I bet he's Italian and speaks not one word of English.Just my luck."

"Yeah, cuz otherwise you could find him in this crowd and make him fall madly in love with you," Jenny said sarcastically."Come on, ice cream!!"

There were loads of protests while everyone complained about what they wanted to do.In the end they agreed to split up in pairs and threes to accomidate everybody.Lucy found herself straying away from everyone."I'll catch up with you guys in a little while," she said to them.

"Ooh, going to look for dream hunk?"

She rolled her eyes."Yeah, that's it."

Lucy set off on her own.She loved being with her friends, a large group of people always appealed to her.However, being in Italy, especially Venice, made her want to see some things on her own.It was a very peaceful, personal place.She didn't know why she felt that way about it, not having an ounce of Italian blood in her.But she felt like the country belonged to her.It was unexplainable.

She walked along, listening to the orchestra play the familiar tune of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World."She decided to spy on people, preferably Americans trying to act Italian.

"Che preferite?Questo?"

"Uh, this one, please?"

"Questo?"

"No, this one," Carter said trying to point to the 400mm film in the glass case."Four Hundred, not Two hundred."

"Quatro?"The elderly lady took out four rolls of the 200mm film and held it out to him.

"Uh, no- Okay." He stopped protesting when he saw the look of annoyance on her face and paid for four rolls of film, when he'd only wanted one.

Lucy was watching this with a smile on her face, not being able to believe it was the same guy from the day before."Hey, stranger," she said teasingly, trotting over to him.

"Huh?" Carter looked up distractedly.He'd been trying to figure out how to fit four rolls of film in his pocket."Oh, hi."It was the girl from yesterday.He hadn't realized how short she was…but she was definitely prettier than he remembered.

"Having some trouble?" she asked, sending him a playful look with her sparkling blue eyes.

"Well.I don't speak Italian," he returned her smile.

"I could see that.I actually thought you were a native when I saw you yesterday."

"Really?I couldn't be more out of my element."

"Where are you from?" she asked him.

"Chicago.You?"

"Boston.I'm here with my Italian class."

"Yeah… did you get into trouble yesterday?"

"What?Oh, that.Naw, my teacher's cool."

He nodded and continued to smile at her.

"Well…"

"Yeah…" 

"I should be-" They both spoke at the same time and broke, laughing.

"Going," Lucy finished, making eyes at him."I should be going."

Carter nodded."You have to get back to your friends?"

She met his gaze and held."No."Watched him smile.

"Would you like- I mean, If you want-"

"Lucy Knight," smiling, she held out a hand for him.

He grinned, happy that she'd interrupted his blabbing."John Carter." He took her hand.And watched her smile falter.He'd felt it, too, a small tug somewhere behind his chest when they'd touched hands.

"Would you like to…" He trailed off, not quite sure how to ask her to spend time with him.

"Sure."

They grinned at each other and started walking.

"So, then, Dr. Benton is standing up there, and all the doctors are watching this screen with no slides as he starts to explain the procedure…"

Carter watched Lucy watch him through the gap in her fingers, which were pressed over her face."He gave the presentation with no slides?" she groaned.

"Yes.He was mad…" Carter said, remembering.

"So you wanted to bring this up at dinner last night?" Lucy scolded him.

"I thought it would be rather ironic.My mother would probably pretend to faint, cause a diversion."

They were sitting at a little outdoor café nursing cappuchino's and biscotti.Carter had told Lucy the events that brought him to Italy, which lead him to complain about his predicament, which led him to telling her he was med student.

"So you're a med student.Tell me, do think I'll make a good one?"

"Good what?Med student?Your going to med school?"

"Yup.Well, after college."

"What college do you go to now?" he asked her.

Lucy raised her eyebrows and pretended to be fascinated with her coffee.

Carter leaned over."You are in college, right?"

"I will be soon," she said brightly.

"Oh, God.How old are you?"

She titled her head and sent him a flirty look."How old do you think I am?"

"I mean it."

"Does age really matter?" she asked, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"Yes," he said sternly.Then he smiled in spite of himself."Tell me you're at least eighteen."

She sent him a flashy smile."I will be soon."Then she got up, jammed her sunglasses on her nose and pulled him to his feet."Let's go, Dr. Carter, there are things to see."

"How soon?" he asked as she pulled him away from the café.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What do you think? 52000 lire for this glass bowl.Too much?" Lucy asked Carter, holding

up a glass bowl the size of her palm.

"Does "soon" mean your seventeen?" he demanded.

"Huh? Are you still going on about that? Drop it, Doctor, you'll never know."

"I'm not a doctor yet.And yes, 52000 lire is too much for that, are you insane?"

"Probably.But it's so pretty."She shrugged and put it down.She had to save her money for touring the other parts of Italy in the next two weeks."I am very mature for my age, both in mind and spirit.I can handle myself around flirty boys with the wrong ideas." She shot him a look from under her lashes.

They walked out into Venice, now cooler and brighter as the sun began to set."Are you saying I'm a flirty boy?"

"Are you?"

He thought about it."Probably.But I can't help it."

Lucy giggled and slid her arm through his, laying her head on his shoulder as they walked.

When it became dark, they camped out as others did, and relaxed under the stars.They listened to the orchestra, which now played sappy love songs.They were sitting next to each other on the bottom step to some shop, while people settled down all around them, ready to camp out on the hard ground to listen to the music or to unwind."Yeah, so next week is the isle of Capri," Lucy was telling him, her voice now sleepy."I'm really excited about that."

Carter thought about his invitation to Capri and his mood dropped a little.He would have to deal with all that when he got back to the hotel tonight. 

"Hey, ya still there?"

He glanced at Lucy who'd turned her head to look at him, her big eyes amused.

He felt that tug again, and found himself grinning."Still here."

She let her head fall on his shoulder."Thought you wanted to be somewhere else for a minute."

"Now that'd be stupid."

"Yes, it would." She lifted her head to meet his gaze and instead felt herself being hypnotized by his eyes.

They kissed then, long and slow.Carter lost every thought, every sour feeling inside of him and instead found something sweet and exquisite.They lingered over the kiss.

The bells chimed.Lucy reluctantly shifted to glance up at the clock on top of the Cathedral.And she felt her heart sink to her knees."Oh, my God, it's midnight."

"Huh?What- midnight?!"

"Uh-huh!We were supposed to meet at ten-thirty to check in and tell if we were staying late.This is bad."

"Yeah," he said getting up quickly and walking with her away from the crowded area.He thought of Angelina standing outside the hotel alone, they're plan ruined.

"There's my class, oh, Miss Starza looks pissed.John-"

"I know.It's okay.How about tomorrow?"

"I can't!Tomorrow I leave for Capri."

"What?" He was shocked.Was this the last time he'd ever see her?

"We leave on a bus for Capri at like, 5 am."

He thought of that invitation to Capri."How long will you be there?"

"What?"

"How long will you be in Capri?I might be able to get there."

"Really?You would do that-"

"Miss Knight!"

They both glanced at the voice, which was obviously her Italian teacher.

"I have to go," she said in a rush."Saturday.I'll be there till Saturday."

"What hotel?"

She looked blank."I don't remember, it's on my itinerary- in my suitcase!Oh, Gosh, let me think-"

"Lucy!! The boat is waiting!"

I have to go." She looked at Carter and grinned."Try to find me, I guess."

He couldn't help breaking into a smile at her bright, lively face. "Thanks for a great day."He kissed her again and felt his heartbeat quicken.Her eyes sparkled into his as they pulled away.Carter's heart felt light and feathery in his chest as he watched her start to run backwards.

"I'll see you," she yelled out."If not in Capri, then some other time!!"

"When you turn eighteen!" he yelled back with a smirk.

"I _am_ eighteen!!" she shouted and laughed at the astounded look on his face.Then she blew him a kiss and dissapearred in the crowd.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Does Carter go chasing Lucy all over Italy?Or will the next time they see each other be in Cook County General Hospital five years later?You decide for yourself!And let me know what you come up with! ;)[Casccara@yahoo.com][2]

Other fanfic by Casca at:

[Between the Lines - A Fanfic Archive][3]

Feedback is welcome!

[Casccara@yahoo.com][2]

   [1]: http://agentsndoctors.50megs.com/feedback.htm
   [2]: mailto:Casccara@yahoo.com
   [3]: http://www.agentsndoctors.50megs.com/



	2. One Night

"Be Still My Beating Heart" Cara Cascio Normal Cara Cascio 11 1100 2001-11-06T07:58:00Z 2001-11-06T20:49:00Z 18 5912 33699 mycompany 280 67 41384 9.2720 6 pt 6 pt 0 3 

Title: One Night

Author:  Casca Casccara@yahoo.com

Spoilers:  Naw, not really.

Archive:  Not without permission from moi! J

Feedback:  Yes, please! J

Disclaimer: They are not mine, none of them. Oh, but I'd like to borrow Carter and go to Italy with him.  We'll leave Lucy at home. ;)

"One day can make your life; one day can ruin your life. All life is is four or five big days that change everything."

                                                                                                            Drew Barrymore, _Riding in Cars With Boys_

            Carter ran as fast as he could, hopping over fences and tripping twice as he made his way towards his goal: a gorgeous brunette waiting patiently for him at the hotel he was staying at in Venice, Italy.  However, Carter wasn't thinking much about brown-haired girls; blondes were more appealing to him at the moment.  A certain blonde who he had fallen head over heels for in less than twenty-four hours.  Carter had always been somewhat of a romantic sort.  He wasn't necessarily good at romance, but he had a dreamy and romantic heart.  And that dreamy and romantic heart was telling him that he was in love with a girl from Boston who was still in high school.  

Life had certainly dealt him an amusing hand today.  

            He came to a halt in front of the ornate hotel and looked around, catching his breath.  The sky was dark, the wind was starting to pick up and the sound of splashing water could be heard from the canals that surrounded the city.

"I'm right here," said a deep female voice in a rich Italian accent.  Angelina Guardo stepped out of the shadows, dressed in a sexy black dress, her dark hair sleek and short.  

"Hi," Carter said breathlessly.  "Sorry I'm late."

"Don't worry about it, I only just arrived.  Did you have a nice day?"

"Very," he said.  "You?"

"Mmm-hmm."

Carter took the opportunity to look at her and saw that her eyes were twinkling mischievously.  He recognized the look. He was _feeling _that look.  "Let me guess.  You met the guy of your dreams while wandering around Venice and he changed your life forever?"

Angelina laughed.  "Not exactly. However, I was with –how did you say it—the 'guy of my dreams'."  

"Really?"

"Yes, really.  Marco Satantello. He and my parents don't get along too well so I have to meet him in secret."

"Ahh, I gotcha," Carter said, nodding understandably.

Angelina looked taken aback at what he's said.  "Huh?"

"Oh, it means, I understand," Carter explained.

"Hmm.  Well, let me take a guess on how your day was spent," Angelina said, grinning.  "You met the woman of your dreams while touring Venezia and she changed your life forever."

"That sounds about right," he grinned sheepishly.  "Except about the "woman" part.  She's only eighteen."

"So?  Does this make a difference to you?"

Carter smiled.  "Oh, well in America age is kind of important.  I mean, it's not a huge deal, but . . ."   _At least she's not seventeen_, a voice in his head told him. Carter grinned, thinking about how Lucy Knight had tricked him into believing she was younger than she actually was.  

"Have you fallen in love at first site?" Angelina asked amusedly.

Carter thought about it.  "It may be possible."

"Why don't we go get a drink and you can tell me about it?" she suggested.

Carter shrugged.  "Sure."

They sat at the hotel's outdoor café and took turns telling their stories, while drinking glass after glass of the great Italian wine.  It turned out that Angelina was in a worse predicament with her parents than Carter was with his.  She's been secretly engaged to her boyfriend, Marco.  The couple had plans to run off and get married in secret.  However, the plan had been exposed and the Guardo's had forbidden Angelina to see Marco.  The reason they were traveling to the house in Capri was to keep her away from him.  Carter told Angelina all about seeing Lucy yesterday and meeting her today as a total coincidence.  He told her about how Lucy was to be traveling in Capri after tonight and how she'd suggested that Carter "find" her since she had no idea what her hotel was called. 

After about an hour of red wine, Carter and Angelina were both a little tipsy. 

"You have to go after her," Angelina said on a huge sigh, staring dreamily at the boats on the water.  "It is too romantic, you must find her and profess your love."

"I'll never be able to find her," Carter said somberly, stirring his drink.

"Yes, you will. You found her today didn't you?  I can help you, also!"

Carter shook his head.  "I don't know.  It doesn't change the fact that I want to get away from my parents.  If I go with them to Capri, they won't shut up about how I'm supposed to carry on the family name and how I failed them because I put too much time into my work and not enough time into my social life." 

She sighed angrily.  "Your parents sound like mine!  Damn them all!"

"Here, here!" Carter raised his glass and Angelina clattered her glass to his.  They laughed as the wine splashed on the table.

"Well, well, well," came another voice.  The two young people looked up to see Mr. and Mrs. Carter and the Guardos approaching the table.  It was Mrs. Carter who had spoken.  "So are you two having a good time?"  She grinned at her husband who winked at Carter.

"It looks like they are," Mr. Carter said.  

"We are having a splendid time," Angelina said, grinning at Carter.

"What have you been doing?" Carter asked his parents, surprised to see them up so late. 

"What?  You think old folks don't know how to have a good time?" Mr. Guardo's loud accented voice boomed out. "Why don't we leave these two kids alone, eh?" he said to the group, and slapped Carter on the back, causing him to choke on his wine.  

When the adults had left, Angelina leaned over, her elbow slipping off the table, her sleek cropped hair falling in her face.  "I've just had a marvelous idea!"

Carter was still trying to recover from being smacked on the back.   "Oh, yeah?" 

"Yes.  See we are both trying to get our parents off our backs, right?"

"Right."

"And we both have invested interests to be alone in Capri.  You want to go and search for Lucy and I would die if I could have another chance to get away and elope with Marco."

Carter nodded and took a deep sip of his drink, crunching on ice cubes.  

"What is the one way your parents would get off your back about your responsibilities?"

"Uh . . . well, I supposed if I let them set me up with some woman of their choice- Oh!"  He met her gaze and she was grinning excitedly. He spoke what they both thinking. "What if we pretend that we-"

"Exactly!" Angelina exclaimed loudly, causing several people to turn and look at the two of them.  They laughed and she whispered.  "If we pretend that we are in love, then they are bound to give us time to ourselves!  I'll be your cover for the entire trip while you look for Lucy and then at the end of the vacation you can cover for me when I finally go and meet up with Marco!"

"Wow.  Do you think they'll believe us?" he asked her.

"Of course they will."  She pushed away the loose strand of hair. "I don't know about you, but my parents don't know me very well.  

"I know the feeling," Carter said, noticing that she suddenly looked very sad.

But Angelina snapped out of it quickly.  "So have we got a deal?"

Carter raised his glass and clicked it to hers.  "Deal."

*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Carter pulled his sunglasses off as he stepped off the huge ferry that had transported the group from Sorrento to the Isle of Capri.  Until he arrived in Capri, Carter had thought that Venice was the most beautiful place there was.  Clearly he'd been wrong.  In Capri, he encountered beauty that he'd only ever seen in postcards.  There were flowers he'd never seen before, huge bushes full of them, brightly colored vines twining dark fences.  Mountains of houses and greenery rose up over the island.  Huge marinas and docks lined the edge of the sea with many kinds of boats, colorful sails billowing in the warm air  And then there was the water, the crystal clear Mediterranean Sea that was neither blue or green, but a color indescribable.  

            "See," Angelina whispered, as they piled off the huge boat.  "It's not a very big island and all the hotels are along the beaches.  You may just have an easy time finding her."

            "Let's hope," Carter muttered, taking in as much as he could of Capri.  He felt Angelina's hand grip his own and he gave her a little wink.  They'd decided to show some affection towards each other when they were around their parents.  Carter had to admit that the idea had been a brilliant one. His parents had actually been great to get along with on the trip to Sorrento.  They had been thrilled when he'd told them his plans to travel to Capri with them.  The plan had worked out great so far, and now that he was in a tropical paradise, he couldn't wait to find Lucy and have the time of his life.  

            The Guardos house turned out to be a mansion directly at the foot of a massive hill, which lead to a docking area where the family docked their several boats.  A few yards down was a glorious beach lined with colorful umbrellas and bright sun bathing chairs.  Carter was amazed to see that the beach was made not only of sand, but of rocks as well, tiny little pebbles which got sharper and greater as they got closer to the water.   He stooped to pick up a bright pink sea-shell and followed Angelina into the house to get settled in.

            After about an hour of  unpacking and winding down from the long car ride and short ferry ride.  

*~*~*~*~*~

Lucy Knight was seated at an outdoor restaurant on the isle of Capri with her good friend Caroline.  The two girls were having lunch and talking about the eventful trip they were on.  Lucy couldn't believe that it was almost over.  Tomorrow the entire Italian class would be on a bus, headed for the airport in Rome where they would board a flight  to Boston Massachusetts. 

"I just don't know what I'm going to do about Sam," Caroline was saying.  "You know, it was my idea to split up but now that we've been apart for so long, I just miss him."

"Mm-hmm," Lucy muttered, taking a sip of her cappuccino, her eyes wandering over the array of faces walking along the marina and sidewalks.  She did a slight double take when she spotted a tall guy with messy brown hair, but frowned when she got a better look.  Her eyes wandered some more, and stopped when they reached another dark haired guy, but this one turned his head and Lucy could see his twinkling blue eyes.  She wasn't looking for blue eyes, she thought with a small frown.  They had to be brown.

"He invited me to go to Colorado with his family.  I think I'm going to say yes-" Caroline paused in mid-sentence and really looked at her friend.  She cleared her throat.  "I think I'm going to say yes, I mean who cares if we're only eighteen, we can do it in Las Vegas.  We can support ourselves on Sam's Burger King salary.  Will you be my maid of honor?"

"Uh-huh," Lucy mumbled, straining her neck to see the brown haired guy who just walked pass them. Then she looked back at Caroline and smiled sheepishly at her friend's raised eyebrows.  "Did I just say yes to some stupid question you were only asking to see if I was paying attention?"

Caroline smiled and nodded. 

"Ugh.  I'm sorry, Caro.  I just-" she groaned.  "I just really thought . . . I really thought that he would come."

"I know," Caroline said, propping her chin in her hand.  "Look, maybe he did come.  Maybe he's here, it's a big place."

"But even if he is here and we don't find each other, it's like it wasn't meant to be," Lucy said softly.  

"If it's meant to be, it's meant to be.  You two will meet up eventually.  I believe it."

Lucy sighed.  "Yeah.  I hope you're right."

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Carter looked everywhere.  He walked along beach after beach, lounged around hotel after hotel, went into every glass shop he could find.  No Lucy.  Carter sat at cafés and outdoor restaurants, watched passersby intensely, even yelled out her name a few particularly desperate times.  Nothing.  He asked questions at the hotel front desks about large groups of students and mentioned her high school name to many of the hotel staff.  They looked at him as though he were speaking a foreign language.  

Well, he was.  

Carter soon began to admit defeat.

"You mustn't quit," Angelina said dramatically.  After four days of searching, and four days of Carter moping and complaining, Angelina tried to offer him some more hope.  She'd been helping Carter out as much as she could, suggesting places to look, searching for some of the places that Carter thought Lucy might want to go.  But the truth was that Angelina wouldn't be able to recognize Lucy is she saw her; there were an abundance of blonde-haired, blue-eyed teenage girls. Carter even admitted to himself that he didn't know Lucy all that well, he'd only spent one day with her.  He didn't know what kind of souvenirs she would shop for, or types of restaurants she would eat at. 

Angelina turned to him lazily from her lounging position on the sunny beach.  "You need to think more positively.  You still have tomorrow before we have to leave."

They were laying on a beach that they hadn't been to yet, pretending to be on a date for the sake of their parents.  The Guardo's had suggested that they spend the day and night at this particularly gorgeous area of Capri where there would be a festival on the beach at night with a fireworks show.  Carter had done some quick research and found out that it was a touristy area and decided to try and find Lucy there.  He'd had no luck whatsoever.  

Carter laughed bitterly.  "Tomorrow.  Tell me, what could happen in one day?"

"You fell in love with her in one day.  A lot can happen."

"Yeah . . . well, who knows if that wasn't a whole big farce?  I mean falling in love in one day?  I'm probably just kidding myself."

"Stop that," she said sternly, sitting up and pressing a hand to her sweating forehead.  "When you start to doubt yourself, that's when you're in trouble.  I need to go for a swim.  It is so hot!" Angelina stood up.  "Come on.  Perhaps you'll see her from across the water and you two will swim towards each other and have a grand union in the Mediteraneo."

Carter reluctantly stood and adjusted his swimming trunks.  "Okay, but I'm going under protest."

~*~*~*~*~*

            "That's such a cute bathing suit, Luce, how come this is the first time I'm seeing it?" Caroline asked.

            Lucy shrugged and glanced down at her 1960's style bathing suit.  The bottoms were bright pink shorts lined with green ribbon and the top was a halter which tied at the neck with the same green ribbon.  "My mom got it for me right before we left.  It's cute, huh?"

            "I'm borrowing it tomorrow," Caroline said.  "Not that I'll fit into it, but whatever."

            The two girls had finished their lunch and changed into their swimsuits.  Now they were walking along the gorgeous stretch of beach, stopping at various stands to buy souvenirs and moon over trinkets.  Lucy had vowed to try and forget about John Carter.  It was just bringing the rest of her vacation down and she was smart enough to know that this was an experience of a lifetime and not to let petty things get in the way.  She cringed at the thought of her relationship with John as being petty.  But the truth was that she barely even knew him.  One day was all they'd had together, not the lifetime she felt she'd known him.  

            Besides, he was just a guy and there would be plenty more where he came from-

            "There he is!" Caroline exclaimed suddenly.

            All the thoughts that were convincing herself it didn't matter vanished.  Lucy didn't need to ask who or even think about it, when she yelled, "WHERE?"

            "Over there, in the water! Look!! Over there!"

Lucy was jumping up down.  "Where!? Caro, I can't see him, are you sure?" 

            "It's him, I'm sure, Luce, look over there, see by that group of little kids?"  Caroline pointed.  "Look to the right and follow my finger."

            "Oh, my God!" Lucy grabbed Caroline's arm.  "It is him! He's coming to the shore, come on!"

            The two girls raced towards the shoreline where John Carter approached.  Caroline stopped Lucy.  "Wait a sec, hold on.  Let him get out the water and dry off, at least."

            "Okay . . ."

            "Who's he with?" Caroline asked.

            Lucy watched John and a woman get closer to shore, closer to her.  "I don't know."

~*~*~*~*~*

            "You have to admit that was great," Angelina shouted over the sound of the waves crashing as they approached shore.  

            "Never," Carter declared.  But he was grinning.  The swim had done him a world of good.  

            "Oh, look!  There's our parents, quick pretend like we're in love!"

            "How do you do that?" he asked, as his feet hit bare sand.  

She put her arms around his neck.  "We just stand here like this for a few minutes, I guess," she said, grinning.  "Put your arms around me!"

            Carter obliged. "This is so stupid. Now what?"

            "I know, it's stupid.  Okay, um, let's see, pretend like your going to kiss me and I'll playfully push you away."

            Carter had to laugh at her expressiveness.  "Okay, here I come," he warned.  He leaned in.

            She pushed him away, threw up her hands and wagged her finger at him.  She was such a bad actress that Carter almost doubled over, he was laughing so hard.  

            "Okay, now we just walk towards them, arm in arm," Angelina said.

            "Arm in arm. Let's go, pal."

            And they walked up the beach with their arms around each other.  

*~*~*~*~*~*

            Lucy stood where she was, staring at the spot where John had stood with that . . . that woman. Oh, she's been a woman all right.  Tall and sleek in a sexy fire-red bikini with all the right moves, all the right looks.  Ever her wet hair was stylish and sleek.  

            Caroline watched her.  She knew Lucy well enough to know what was coming.  And she braced for it.

            "STUPID!" Lucy shouted, stamping her foot on the sand.  "I am SO STUPID!"

            "No, you're not," Caroline said, soothingly.

            "Oh, yes I am," she snapped and began walking back the way they had come.  

            It was all Caroline could do to keep up with her.  "You're not stupid, Luce, maybe it didn't mean anything."

            Lucy stopped marching long enough to look at Caroline.  "Then you must be stupid, too."  She continued to walk up the beach towards the hotel, gripping her large purse and small shopping bag.

              After ten full minutes of storming across the beach, Lucy stopped again.  Caroline watched with apprehension.  "Oh, God, how stupid could I be!  I was just a, just a one day fling to him, that's all."

            "You don't know that-"

            "Oh, yes I do," Lucy said with wrath in her voice and stormed up the path to their hotel.

            Once inside, Lucy slammed her hand five times on the "up" button at the elevator.  Several people in the lobby glanced her way.  

            "You know we left our towels on the beach," Caroline started to say as they rode up the forth floor.

            "I don't care," Lucy snapped.

            Once inside the hotel room, Lucy threw her bags on one of the beds, stood in the middle of the room and crossed her arms.

            Caroline sat on a bed and watched her.  She's known Lucy since kindergarten and she knew what her temper tantrums were like.  Whenever she'd been hurt or angered, Lucy would explode for about a half an hour, then she would slowly simmer down and after a few hours, she'd be immune to whatever it was that had hurt her.  This wasn't any different from those times.

            Lucy was staring in the mirror over the dresser at her bathing suit that had been so cute a little while ago.  Sure, cute compared to the sexy string bikini that woman had been wearing.  "Did you even see her?"

            Caroline nodded.

            "She was gorgeous!" Lucy exclaimed.  "She was beautiful and older, probably his age.  I'm only eighteen, Caro, he's twenty-four.  How could I have even thought . . . Never mind." Lucy rummaged through a drawer and pulled out some clothes.  "I'm changing.  I don't feel like hanging out at the beach anymore."  And with that, she shut herself up in the bathroom.

            A few hours later, all the girls had returned to their rooms to change for dinner.  In celebration of their last night in Italy, they would be going out to a fancy dinner and then enjoy a fireworks show along the marina.  Caroline, Sharon, and Maria were talking excitedly as they put on make-up and decided what to wear.  Lucy was dressing in silence.  

            "You okay?" Maria asked as Lucy joined them in front of the mirror with her makeup bag.

            "Yeah," Lucy said, as she started to apply her makeup.  "I'm just tired, we walked a lot today."  

She hadn't told anyone about her run-in with John and that women.  Right after she had sworn Caroline to secrecy, Lucy had began to put it out of her mind and tell herself that he didn't matter to her in the least, that he was just a guy.  These thoughts lasted an hour or so before she started to admit the truth: that she had cared for him more than any guy she'd ever dated.  That one day had turned out to be probably the best day in her young life.  Once she admitted everything to herself, she began to feel incredibly hurt by what had happened.  

But she wasn't going to let that stop her.  Her mother had given her this trip for graduation and it had been very expensive.  She wasn't going to waste it away because of a guy.  And Lucy was smart enough to know that in the long run, John Carter would be just another person she would add to her list of people she'd met on her trip to Italy.  

In contrast to her gloomy mood, Lucy put on a cheerful outfit; a vivid blue beaded tank top the shade of her eyes and matching capri slacks.  She left her hair down and wavy, using the curling iron to give it body.  Lucy didn't know it, but she was subconsciously making herself extra pretty in case she ran into John and his girlfriend.  At least she would have her looks if her pride was somewhere out the door.               

"Nice cleavage," Caroline commented as she fluffed her short brown hair.  "Trying to show up someone?" 

"Huh?" Lucy looked down and sure enough the little tank drooped slightly low.  "Oh, my God.  Caro, am I subconsciously showing up his girlfriend?"

She giggled.  "Looks like.  Here," as only a best friend could do, Caroline pulled the neckline of Lucy's shirt up a little and adjusted the spaghetti straps.  "That's better.  Just enough to get them looking, but not so much to say you're a slut."

Lucy let out a laugh.  "Thanks."

*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tonight was the night that it would all happen.  Carter and Angelina had arranged for their parents to have a nice dinner way on the other side of the marina.  After dinner, the two couples were supposed to join Angelina and Carter and they would all watch the fireworks together.  Little did the parents know that before the fireworks would start, Carter would accompany Angelina to the Ferry which she would board and ride to Sorrento.  There she would meet Marco and run away to live happily ever after. Carter would then return to his parents and say that he'd lost Angelina and had been all over trying to find them.  Mr. and Mrs. Guardo would then find a letter at the house that Angelina had written them explaining where she was.

"Is it this crowded every year?" Carter asked Angelina as they walked through the crowds of people.  They had just finished eating a late dinner and the fire works show was going to start in an hour, at ten-fifteen.  The two settled down at a small table and waited until they had to leave for the Ferry.  

"Oh, yes.  The show is spectacular.  They have boats all lit up on the water sailing all over the sea.  And the fireworks are the best show in the world.  Well, except for maybe, Carnivale de Venezia.  They have a beautiful show." 

"So does the Taste of Chicago."

"Taste?"  Angelina asked, confused.

"Oh, it's like a . . . " he tried to think of how to describe it.  "It's like a festival, but not as fun . . . um like a gathering of the town where you can taste all kinds of food from different restaurants in Chicago."

"Oh, so that is why it is called a "taste."

"Yup."  Carter thought about Chicago.  It seemed so far away, as did the hospital and his school.  He started to look forward to returning home and starting his fourth year as a med student.  He'd be graduating next year.  Just then he remembered Lucy telling him that she was going to med school.  What a small world it was that he'd met a girl in a foreign country who was following in his own footsteps.  He hadn't thought about Lucy after he'd left the beach earlier in the day.  He'd basically given up on finding her.  Carter knew that even spotting her here was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.  And besides, it was his turn to help Angelina now.  She'd done everything she could to help him with his own problems and now it was her own turn to try and find her dreams.

"Do you think I have time to get a gelato?" he asked, checking his watch.

Angelina gave him a look.  "You just ate more than both of us put together."

"I know, but I promised myself that I would eat two gelato's a day so that I wouldn't miss it when I get back to Chicago."

She rolled her eyes.  "Okay, but make sure you're back here in fifteen minutes so that we can leave for the Ferry.  I want to get there with time to spare."

"Okee-dokee."

"Huh?" she exclaimed.

Carter laughed. "Never mind.  I'll be back-" he checked his watch- "by a quarter to ten."

"Okay, because the ferry leaves at 10:45."

"Okay, okay," he said and ran off to find a gelato stand.  

It turned out to be a bad idea.  Carter wasted ten minutes hiking through the crowds before finally arriving at a gelato stand where there were about ten people standing in line at the one-man cart.  He groaned and looked at his watch.  He had to be back in five minutes, there was no way he would be able to stand in line and fight through the crowds again in that amount of time.  Giving up, he turned and started to inch his way through the hundreds of people back to where Angelina was.  

He hadn't seen crowds like this since the U2 concert he'd gone to a couple years back.  People had been wall to wall inside Rosemont Theater and it wasn't any different here except that there were no walls, it was all on the beach.  "Excuse me," he muttered, bumping into people here and there.  He even managed to crash right into an older woman and knock her purse out of her hand.

"Sorry," he muttered, as he and the woman bent down to pick it up.  She yanked the purse out of his hand and screamed at him in Italian before stalking away.  

Carter shook his head and began to look for a break in the crowd to get out of it.  

He didn't find a break in the crowd, but he found something else.  Carter stood for a moment stunned.  A member of the crowd, Lucy was pushing her way through, looking frustrated and oblivious.  His heart skipped a beat in his chest.  She was only a few yards away, only a few feet.  But to get to her in this crowd would take a lifetime.

He took a chance. "LUCY!!" he shouted as loud as he could and hoped his voice traveled over the noise of the crowd.

Carter watched her head snap up and her eyes dart all over the place until they found his.

For the both of them it was as if time had stopped.  The crowd pushing in on them disappeared, the loud noise of people talking evaporated.

But nothing could have prepared Carter for what happened next.  Lucy's eyes turned cold as ice and she snapped around and stormed away.  Carter's mouth dropped open and he stared at her pushing through the crowd, away from him.

 He did the only thing he could think of.  He screamed, "WAIT!" and pushed his way through the crowd just as she was doing.  But it was impossible to catch her.  Carter saw Lucy approach a gap in the crowd where she took full advantage to get as much distance between herself and him.  As he reached the end of the huge crowd, Carter just about caught up to her.  "Wait, a second, what's wrong?" he reached out and tried to grab her arm, but Lucy yanked it away and began to run down the beach.

"What the hell-"  The anger inside him started to build up.  He'd traveled all this way, spent his entire tropical vacation searching for this girl and when he finally caught up to her, she was running away from him.  He refused to take it.  On an oath, Carter ran as fast as he could after her, kicking up sand, and shouting her name as the two raced across the endless stretch of beach.  Carter didn't know how long he chased her, but he came to his senses when he heard the sound of fireworks.

He halted.  The show had started.  He'd been gone for almost thirty minutes and Angelina's ferry was leaving in fifteen.  They would never make it.

He let out a vehement exclamation and kicked a huge rock across the beach.  The world had just turned on him and in a vicious way.  He was indescribably angry at Lucy, but even more angry at himself.  She was just a kid, just a young girl who had had a one day fling which meant absolutely nothing to her.  And he was chasing after her like a lunatic, probably ruining all chances for Angelina to get away.  And for what?  

Nothing.

There was no way he'd make it back in time to get Angelina and get them both to ferry, so he started to walk back, breathing heavily and cursing himself.

"John!"

After about ten minutes of walking, he heard someone call his name.  He turned around and saw his parents and the Guardo's rushing towards him down the beach.  It was his mother who had spoken.  "Why weren't you where you said you were going to be?  We've been all over."

"And where is Angelina?" Mr. Guardo asked, however he wasn't joking around now.

Carter looked from his parents to Angelina's.  If they hadn't found her, perhaps she'd gone to the Ferry already?  He thought quickly and decided to try and salvage the plan.  "I don't know where she is," he said, trying his best to look convincing.  "She said she would meet me for dinner but she didn't come.  I waited at the restaurant all night, but she never showed up."

"What?" Mrs. Guardo exclaimed.  "How could that be, how could she-" She broke off and looked at her husband with wide eyes.  It appeared that they were thinking the same thing: that Angelina had found a way to escape again.  He played dumb.  "Do you have any idea where she could be?" he asked them, putting a hint of urgency in his voice.  

The Guardo's composed themselves in a heartbeat and covered up quickly.  They told him they didn't know where on earth she could be and Mrs. Guardo pretended to be very worried. Obviously they wouldn't say that she probably eloped with her boyfriend.  "We need to go back to the house, call some of her friends, perhaps they've seen her," said Mrs. Guardo.

"I'm going to stay around here," Carter said.  "Maybe she just got lost."

"Darling-"

Carter interrupted his mother.  "I want to stay," he said firmly.

So the Guardo's and the Carter's left, leaving John to look for Angelina.  Only he didn't look for Angelina, he took off running as fast as he could towards the Ferry that sailed to Sorrento. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Lucy slammed the door of her hotel room.

            "Oh, my God, what happened?" Caroline exclaimed, looking at Lucy.  Her friend looked as though she'd been through a war, her hair was bushy, her face was bright red, and she looked close to tears.  "I saw him!  Again!  What is going on here?!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes filling with tears.  "How come I can see him ten times after I know he has a girlfriend? But when I was good and oblivious, he was no where to be found!?"

            "Oh, honey." Caroline stopped packing and walked over to put her arm around Lucy.

            Lucy told her the whole story.  "I feel like a, like a betrayed woman."

            Caroline tried not to smile.

            "It's not funny!"

            "I'm not laughing!"

"Yes, you are.  Because it's true, I'm a pathetic mess. Why can't I just get over it?"

Caroline stayed silent and went back to her packing.

"What?" Lucy asked.  "What's with you?"

Caroline regarded her.  "Okay.  I'm going to say what I think, but you have to promise me that you won't blow up in my face."

"I won't promise any such thing."

Caroline sighed.  "I don't think you should have ran away from him tonight."

Lucy's mouth dropped open.  "What should I have done?"

"You should have listened to what he had to say."

"He didn't have anything to say-"

"How do you know?  You didn't give him a chance.  Obviously he cares about you if he chased you down the beach."

"He had a girlfriend, Caroline!  I saw it, YOU saw it."

"How do you know that was his girlfriend?" She continued before Lucy could interrupt her.  "Maybe he met her

AFTER he met you.  Did you even think of that?"

            Lucy stood where she was, speechless.  "No, I didn't . . . but . . ." She started to feel uneasy.  "Oh, God.  Did I just make a huge mistake? I did, didn't I?  I have no one to blame but myself. I've been waiting for him to find me and then I run away!"  

            Caroline sighed.  "He still may out there."

            Lucy thought about it.  "No," she finally said.  "I'm not going to go out there again.  It's over.  I'm going to finish packing because we are going home tomorrow.  Home, can you believe it?" Lucy grabbed her empty suitcase and plopped in onto the bed.  Where are Maria and Sharon?"

            Caroline sighed.  "Uh, they went out for gelato.  I told them they're never going to be able to wake up at five in morning if they stay out all night."

            "Yeah." Lucy sank down on the bed and grabbed a set of pictures Caroline had gotten developed from their visit to Florence.  She looked at one particular picture that had been taken of the entire class at a disco in Florence.  They'd been dancing to the song "Dancing Queen" and defiantly "having the time of their lives."  Lucy thought of other things, like shopping and sight-seeing . . . the beautiful scenery . . .  the excited bus rides from each place to the next.  And she thought of the cute boy she'd met in Venice and the awesome day they'd shared.

            "Hey, Caro?"

            Caroline was shoving pairs of shoes into a large pocket of her suitcase. "Hmm?"

            "I know I've bean a pain in the butt these last few days.  But I just wanted to say . . . this trip has been the best time of my life."

            The two best friends shared grins, they're eyes sparkling with memories they would never forget.

            "Yeah, me too."

~*~*~*~*~*~

The sound of the horn meant that the Ferry was now boarding to leave for Sorrento.  Angelina's eyes searched frantically for John, trying to wait as long as she could before actually getting on the boat.  She wanted to know what had happened, had he gotten lost?  Had he run into their parents?  She'd waited by the table long enough and had finally decided that if she were going to act, she had to just do it.  However, Angelina didn't like the feeling that she'd left things unsettled with John.  She felt as though they had developed a nice friendship over the last few weeks and she hated just leaving without telling him how much she appreciated all his help.  

The horns sounded again.  Angelina glanced at her watch which read 10:40.  She sighed.  The boat was filling up fast and she wanted to make sure she got a seat.  She scanned the beach once more and shrugged helplessly.  There was nothing she could do now. Perhaps she would try and contact John after everything was settled, she thought as she walked towards the boat.

"Wait a second, Angelina!" Carter ran up the steps and onto the platform of the marina.

She turned and grinned. "John!  I'm so glad you made it.  What happened?"

"I'm so sorry, it's all my fault.  I saw Lucy and I ran after her-"

"You saw her?!" she exclaimed excitedly.  "What happened?" 

Carter stared at her, amazed.  He'd been sure that she would be angry at him.  But here she was, excited and willing to be happy, even though he had almost ruined everything for her.  Carter realized at once how thankful he was that he'd come on this trip.  Sure he'd met the girl of dreams who'd broken his heart and part of him would never be the same again because of it.  But he'd met a friend, a true friend in Angelina, and that had taught him a very valuable lesson.  "Nothing happened.  It wasn't meant to be between Lucy and I, I realized that.  But you, you and Marco are going to live happily ever after, I just know it."

"You think so?" she asked joyfully.

"I know so."  They both glanced at the Ferry as the final horns blared.

"Oh, I have to go. Suddenly I am very nervous," she confessed, ringing her hands.

"Don't be nervous.  Come on, one of us has to succeed, right?"

"Right," she smiled.  "I'm sorry it's not both of us.  John, I want to thank you for being a friend.  I'll never forget all you've done for me."

"Same here." They hugged, said quick goodbyes, and Angelina ran up the steps and onto the Ferry.  

Carter stood in the breezy night air and watched the huge ferry pull away from the dock.  Funny how he'd felt as though he'd lost his two best friends tonight.  Two woman he barely knew, but two women who had changed his life.  An hour ago, he'd been angry at himself for coming on the trip, for following Lucy to Capri, for feeling the way did for her.  But now, all he felt was contentment.  If it had to be this way, it had to be.  He certainly had had an experience to last him a lifetime. 

"John!" 

Carter turned around and looked over the railing, down at the beach.  His eyes must have been deceiving him, he decided.  Lucy stood at the bottom of the platform, on the beach, looking up him. His feelings had been deceiving him as well . . . Carter no longer felt contentment, he felt thrilled and angry and curious and confused all at the same time. 

"Lucy?" he called uncertainly.

She stood where she was and gazed up at him.  "I was wondering if we could talk," she said.

"It depends," he said dryly.  "Will you run away before I get down there?"

She shook her head, her eyes somber as the wind picked up her hair and blew it around her face.

            Carter slowly descended the stairs and Lucy approached the edge of them.  When Carter reached the sand, she looked up at him, her big blue eyes dark and sad.  "I wanted to say I'm sorry I ran away tonight.  I should have had the guts to tell you why I didn't want to see you."

            Carter looked away.  "So you admit that you didn't want to see me?" he asked.  Then he laughed at himself.  "Of course you didn't want to see me, you let me chase you down a beach."

            "I know you have a girlfriend," she said, hugging herself from the sudden cool air.  "I saw you this afternoon on the beach . . . with her."

            Carter started to nod, emotionally prepared for any reason she would give him so that he would not be let down too harshly.  But then he stopped, his eyes narrowed and he looked at her to see if she was joking.  There was no humor in her eyes.  Suddenly everything clicked into place.  "Oh, my God," he muttered.  Him . . . Angelina . . . the scene on the beach.  "Oh my God," he said again.  He told her the whole story, not leaving anything out.  "Why do you think I came here?  I    came . . . well, I came for you.  To find you."

            Lucy listened to him, prepared not to believe any excuses he gave her.  But as he told the story from start to finish, Lucy started to feel uneasy.  It made sense . . . it certainly made sense.

            "There's no way for me to make you believe me, Angelina's gone, she just left on that Ferry.  It's just my word, and well, you don't even know me, why should you believe me?" he asked.

            Lucy gazed up at his defeated eyes.  And suddenly, she did believe him.  She knew that it was true, she just . . . knew.  Lucy took a step toward him.  "I'm leaving tomorrow morning you know."

            He nodded, fairly confused.      

            Lucy continued.  "If I said that I believed you, we'd only have tonight . . . one night before we would have to say goodbye again."  She took another step toward him and met his gaze.  

Relief poured through him.  She believed him.  She believed him and there they were, standing on one of the most gorgeous beaches in the world, and they were at last together.  

"It would hardly be worth it, would it?" he asked, sliding his arms around her and touching his lips to hers.  

"Mmm . . . hardly . . ." Lucy whispered against his mouth.  They kissed again, a long dreamy kiss.  When they broke apart, they smirked at each other.  

"I mean, really, what could happen in just one night?" 

 To Be Continued at County General Six Years Later . . .

Other fanfic by Casca at:

Between the Lines - A Fanfic Archive

http://agentsndontors.50megs.com

Feedback is welcome!

Casccara@yahoo.com


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